CABLE & WIRELESS SEYCHELLES LTD

CABLE & W I R E LE SS S E YC H E L L E S LT D

Offering not only a TV service but an entertainment hub accessible to everyone www.cwseychelles.com

ame C A B L E

&

W I R E L E S S

Charles Hammond, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cable & Wireless Seychelles with wife, Mrs Hammond

2

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

S E Y C H E L L E S

T

E

C

H

N

O

L

O

G

Y

Revolution I S L A N D

Q U A D - P L A Y

Seychelles’ leading and longstanding telecoms company continues to enhance its service offering by becoming the country’s first convergent quad-play provider. This has been achieved through strategic planning, a bold vision and significant investment over the past few years Writer: Emily Jarvis • Project Manager: Donovan Smith

able & Wireless Seychelles (CWS) is of historical and cultural importance in Seychelles. Commencing operations in the country 122 years ago, CWS is intrinsic to the very history of the country having connected Seychelles to the outside world by deploying the first submarine cable in 1893 for the technological marvel that was the telegraph system.

Given the size the Company has grown to and its longstanding presence in the country, CWS is deeply rooted within the community, comprising a 97 percent Seychellois workforce. “Almost everyone in Seychelles knows someone who has worked for us, or indeed someone who is currently working for us. We are highly regarded as a substantial organisation that is known for bringing Seychelles closer to being a fully digital Island, in partnership with the Seychelles Government,” comments Charles Hammond, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cable & Wireless Seychelles.

The Company has evolved in a relatively short period of time to one that utilises all of the relevant technologies that are in demand today including FTTH, FTTC, LTE, 3G and MPLS L3; to deliver voice and the

85% Google’s estimated percentage of internet traffic in the Seychelles generated through Cable & Wireless customers

fastest 3G and LTE data in the country, corporate solutions, radio services, fixed line and most recently, television services to its valued customers.

All of CWS’ services, including entertainment, can be enjoyed on the move or at a fixed location.

According to its own statistics, CWS commands a 72 percent market share of internet data users; however, Google’s estimates are much higher than this, claiming that 80-85 percent of internet traffic in Seychelles is generated through Cable & Wireless customers.

Network investment

Since the economic reforms of 2008, CWS has been investing just under a quarter (at least 18 percent) of its profits back into the business, which has paid dividends for its quad-play and internet strategies which have been delivered through smart network expansion and infrastructure upgrade strategies. This has enabled CWS to be the Company of choice for both residential and business customers.

An incredible 95 percent of resorts and hotels subscribe exclusively to CWS services, illustrating the supreme confidence in their ability to deliver solutions of the highest standard.

“With regards to our residential customers, reliability, coverage and

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

3

REACH THE CLOUD Capital Outsourcing can build cloud solutions at customers’ data centres to cater for specific business requirements including; Infrastructure, Platform, Software, Backup, Network, Storage, Security and Desktop as a Service. The offered cloud solutions are flexible, scalable, reliable and trusted. In brief, customers can easily REACH THE CLOUD with Capital Outsourcing.

For more information on our services go to www.c-o.com

C A B L E

&

W I R E L E S S

affordability are the three staples of our business and with this significant investment in infrastructure, we have also made sure that every household was within two kilometres of a network station,� explains Hammond.

The high level of capex investment that is driven by its internet and quad-play strategies has given CWS a platform that sets the Company apart from the competition. Positioning itself as the provider of quality and reliable services, the company is now reaping the fruits of visionary planning.

Hammond further details: “We are proud to have increased our market share in recent years, to now stand at 68 percent in mobile services; placing us head and shoulders above the rest as the market leader in the telecoms industry. Equipped with the right people who are skilled, motivated and understand the local market, we are continuously looking forward. Our latest goals are to upgrade the whole 3G network to LTE, advance with VOLTE and to increase FTTH to more than 80 percent of the country, and our entertainment offers are riding on this. “Advanced LTE is key to delivering our mission statement: to provide world class communications and entertainment services whenever and wherever people work, play and have fun. Convergence means that we can deliver voice, internet and

S E Y C H E L L E S

Providing world-class communications wherever people work and play

Television has long been identified as a business area

6

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

entertainment services fixed and mobile in ways that are compelling and competitive to customers. To facilitate this, CWS has increased its international internet capacity five-fold in two and a half years.

Advanced LTE is key to delivering our mission statement: to provide world class communications and entertainment services whenever and wherever people work

Entertainment hub

Since identifying the television market as a potential business area, CWS grabbed the opportunity with both hands and now is focusing on becoming the market leader within the next three years. Not only providing a service that customers have been accustomed to beforehand, but going above and beyond to provide an entertainment hub.

The service launched on 29 June with a variety of premium content to satisfy all demographics and tastes.

However, the plan is to continuously improve the service by keeping abreast of customer feedback and adding channels, VoD (video on demand) and mobile TV. In July, it added five new major channels with the aim to add

Capital Outsourcing C

apital Outsourcing (C-O), was established in 2000 and was the 1st ASP in the Middle East. (C-O) provides clients with a wide roster of products and services in the fields of Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO), telecom related infrastructure and professional IT training.

Bringing expert skill and experience to the IT arena, C-O is a proven leader in the sector, serving a select regional and international clientele across the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Able to successfully tackle the most challenging IT requirements faced by businesses, the staff are instilled with an unwavering work ethic that sets a new benchmark of excellence in the industry. Regardless of the specifications, C-O continuously meets with stringent international standards to provide specially catered solutions to secure individual business needs. A pioneering company at the forefront of the IT industry, C-O is an invaluable business partner to its clients through the diligent pursuit of providing the very best products and services.

C-O has managed to capitalize on the extensive experience of its staff and best practices of its data centre in Beirut to provide advanced on-site Cloud Computing solutions implementations and various IT solutions for major industry players in the Middle East, Africa and Europe including Software as a Service, Infrastructure as a Service and Platform as a Service. It is recognized as a world-class Microsoft Hosted Solutions implementer with a significant portfolio of Telco and public sector customers.

As a result, C-O is in the unique position to offer Architectural Design Sessions (ADS),

Business Development Sessions (BDS), solution design, solution implementation, platforms’ migrations, workshops, products and services packaging, TCO and ROI analysis, provisioning panels (Capital Panel), full platform outsourcing, 2nd level support and technical and sales training. Such innovative solutions have propelled the company to the forefront of the market and cemented our position as industry leaders.

In addition, C-O has gained the Microsoft gold competencies to act as Office365 and Azure reseller and deployment partner in the Middle East and Africa.

Citrix Systems represents another strategic track where the team has proved to be a regional leader in the various solutions.

The long partnership forged with Citrix as a Service Provider on one side, and a System Integrator on the other side, has given C-O team a major role in the development of the Cloud concept in the Middle East and Africa.

IT professional training represents a complementary service provided by our certified engineers and covering various topics: Network, System and Software related.

Moreover, C-O Team can deliver Data Centre consulting services that can be customized to fit most of customer needs and business requirements to build and operate state of the art data centres.

Chadi Ghazal – General Manager Email: chadi.ghazal@c-o.com Phone: +961 1 208252

www.c-o.com

SAF Tehnika S

AF Tehnika is one of world’s leading microwave data transmission equipment manufacturers with a global presence in over 130 countries. The company has been working closely with Cable & Wireless in Seychelles for more than five years now, providing nearly 100% of the wireless infrastructure backbone to the islands.

SAF microwave radios provide the best possible alternative to fibre optics. Our pointto-point radio systems offer data transmission speeds of up to 1Gbps while being a cheaper and more efficient in places where cable network is not available. Microwave links can be deployed in almost any environment and the link distances can reach 150 km.

For example, our devices are connecting distant rural areas in Uganda and South Sudan. Largest microwave network in Lagos, Nigeria, is backed by our radios. We are supplying equipment for municipal services in Botswana. There are many more examples of how SAF has helped connecting people and companies all around the African soil.

“Integra” is an unbelievably light, energy efficient carrier-grade system allowing easy and quick installation at a lowered total cost of ownership.

SAF Tehnika has also created world’s first ultra-light handheld spectrum analyser “Spectrum Compact”. It is an easy-to-use measurement solution for the 2GHz - 40GHz frequency bands. This battery-powered device is a must-have tool for equipment installation, link troubleshooting and site planning. The LCD touchscreen ensures smooth and intuitive onsite use and the SMA connector allows the Spectrum Compact to integrate with any vendor’s antenna or waveguide system.

SAF is committed towards providing a strong focus on both production and delivery of customer-adapted wireless solutions at a competitive price and the highest standards of quality. By choosing SAF you choose superior European build quality, exceptional service and technical support as well as the industry leading performance!

SAF Tehnika offers customizable solutions to various industries, ranging from mobile operators and internet service providers to system integrators, oil & gas companies, mining industry enterprises and government & municipal institutions.

Among our best-known customers in Africa are SWIFT, Main One, Chevron, Vodacom, Wanachi Group, Multilink, Sonangol, GS Telecom, Alcom and many others.

SAF Tehnika’s microwave radios cover licensed and license-free frequency bands within the 300MHz-42GHz range, with capacities up to 1Gigabit full-duplex and 4QAM-2048QAM modulation range. Our latest generation microwave radio platform

T +371 67046838 E edgars.dudko@saftehnika.com info@saftehnika.com

www.saftehnika.com

C A B L E

&

W I R E L E S S

S E Y C H E L L E S

TAYANA

E

stablished in 1999 and headquartered in India’s IT capital Bengaluru. Tayana Software Solutions (TSS) prides itself in continually providing software telecom products & solutions to Communication Service Providers globally, while building lasting relationships with all their clients who have expressed faith in them through repeat orders on a sustained basis over a period of time.

Watching popular programmes anytime, anywhere is a seismic shift

many more in the near future.

“The ability to watch your favourite programmes when you want and where you want is a seismic shift from what is currently available from our competitors; and we expect to have achieved 20 percent of the market share in the first month of providing entertainment services,” says Hammond.

To complement these services and offer an inclusive package to its customers, CWS will also rollout its mobile money service, Cable & Wireless Cash, in November 2015, enabling customers to make financial transactions from their mobile phones.

Similarly, the Company has been busy in the enterprise space, striking a deal with Seychelles’ Civil Aviation Authority to provide free Wi-Fi for the country’s airport. “This service is currently being tested and is available throughout the airport. We recognise the growing trend and importance of internet availability in the modern world we live in. Subsequently, the

10

The ability to watch your favourite programmes when you want and where you want is a seismic shift from what is currently available from our competitors

Company is making improvements to the service as we speak and intends to extend the service to other areas of the country in public spaces such as key business hubs, bus stations and so on,” the CEO says.

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

With a wide range of over 30+ products and solutions, covering Core strategic Products, Mobile VAS and Customized offerings, which includes Unified Policy Control and Charging, Mobile Financial Services/Mobile Money, Consolidated Messaging - SMSC, USSD Gateway, OBD, Call Management, Roaming, Telco data BI & Analytics Platforms etc, TSS helps Communication Service Providers maximize returns on investments, improve subscriber retention, and enhance offerings.

A customer focused dedicated team of engineers, over fifteen years of experience working across geographies and cultures in Africa, Middle East, APAC, Europe and SAARC countries with networks ranging from 65,000 to over 30 million subscribers plays a crucial role in delivering unique, reliable, cost effective and timely solutions translating into reality, a Hassle Free On time project execution from “Requirement” to “Go Live”.

Having successfully built products and solutions from scratch, implementing, commercializing, sustaining and enhancing the products for the entire lifecycle, TSS enables their clients to deliver rich and differentiating services seamlessly in the everchanging technology environment and customized for local market needs.

Being a truly Comprehensive & Reliable Partner to clients like Cable & Wireless, Orange, Ooredoo, Smart, Banglalink and many more.

T +918025594911 or +919886245196 E sales@tayana.in

www.tayanasoftware.com

C A B L E

&

W I R E L E S S

S E Y C H E L L E S

VOHKUS

V

ohkus have a passion and talent for helping their clients to use technology to improve, innovate, and succeed.

Through their dedication to aggregate a market leading breadth of technology expertise and resources, they partner with their clients to optimise the efficiency of their IT operations, enabling a deeper strategic focus on the stream of compelling technology innovations that add competitive advantage.

This is the foundation of their approach, which they call... Technology Business Edge. Whether it’s Enterprise Storage, Desktop Virtualisation, BYOD, Managed Infrastructure Services, or plain old box shifting they have the case studies and industry wide recognition to prove that their clients are in safe hands with Vohkus by their side.

CWS continues to develop in tandem with its bold investments is its employees

Customer focused

One area that CWS continues to develop in tandem with its bold investments is its employees. “As a customer focused organisation, we aspire to always better ourselves in order to move forward and align even more potential customers with the brand.

“Careful planning has been at the core of our staff improvement strategy; we examined our resources to ensure there are qualified people deployed throughout the supply chain to accompany our significant investments. Most importantly, we achieved this without any service degradation, maintaining the network to a very high standard in accordance with shareholder expectations; creating a solid platform from which to rollout our new and improved service offering,” Hammond emphasises.

Each year, investment in training increases, with various programmes available for all staff that ensures

12

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

AV GROUP

As a customer focused organisation, we aspire to always better ourselves in order to move forward and align even more potential customers with the brand

• AV is a business conglomerate & amongst the top corporate bodies in Seychelles with business spanning in Seychelles & across the globe. It was started in 1962 & formally structured in 2004 to combine all businesses under one group.

• Today AV groups business spans into automobiles, watercrafts, marine engines, electronic household appliances, furniture, musical instruments, spares & accessories, real estate, wholesale & distribution, motor vehicles & marine engine repairs, boat charters, money exchange & car hire operations. It has multiple outlets across the country to cater to its diverse business needs.

• AV group works in collaboration with some of the biggest multinational companies in the world such as Toyota, Daihatsu, Subaru, Hino, Yamaha, Panasonic, Nikai, Black & Decker, Ocean, Super General, Clarke, West Lake, NGK, Demeyere.

T

E

C

H

N

O

L

O

G

Y

VOHKUS DELIVERS IT ENABLED BUSINESS SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES, AND IS A TRUSTED TECHNOLOGY PARTNER FOR BOTH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR CLIENTS, MANY OF WHOM OPERATE ACROSS THE GLOBE.

‘SOURCING’

Vohkus understands that in order to be the very best service-driven organisation we can our supply chain needs to operate to the highest possible standards.

‘SERVICES’

With a particular expertise and focus on serving mid size and enterprise business, we have aggregated a broad portfolio of Services.

‘SOLUTIONS’

‘SUPPORT’

DISCOVER HOW VOHKUS CAN BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS

VISIT VOHKUS.COM

SPEAK TO AN EXPERT +44 (0)1489 556 102 OR EMAIL INFO@VOHKUS.COM

In today’s climate, for your business to thrive and succeed it needs an IT solutions partner who can help reach your IT goals, drive efficiency and achieve cost savings.

The Vohkus service desk has been designed to offer specifically tailored services for our clients. We are able to construct and deliver highly relevant and cost efficient contracted support desk style services from our HQ based service desk.

VOHKUS - Africa Outlook - Ad July 2015.indd 1

Official Distributor

13/07/2015 11:54:54

PROVIDENCE, MAHE, SEYCHELLES Tel. 4434301 / 4434302 | Mob. 2563006 | Fax. 4373848 Email: abeval@intelvision.net | Website: www.avgroup.sc

Toyota is the World’s Largest Automotive Manufacturer 80% of Toyotas sold in the last 20 years are still on the road today

HILUX

YARIS

RAV4

HIACE

AVANZA

PRIUS

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

13

C A B L E

&

W I R E L E S S

S E Y C H E L L E S

a minimum threshold standard of qualification is upheld within the organisation. He further adds: “For example, we made it a requirement to be certified in whatever our employees are practiced in via specialised training through international bodies such as CISCO, VMWare, Microsoft, and so on.

“We take pride in the fact that more than 97 percent of our staff are from the local community, and with more people than ever before employed by us, we continue to contribute to the economic and social wellbeing of Seychelles,” says Hammond.

Happy to Give

In line with its indigenous culture, CWS places corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the heart of its core values.

“We connect the population through both our literal service offering and by taking a vested interest in the communities in which we operate. Our Happy to Give campaign has benefitted many different demographics across the country, with both staff and those we assist enjoying the project on an emotional and gratifying level,” the CEO comments.

One of the many ways in which the Company has contributed to communities is through its ‘Happy to Give’ initiative, where customers

CSR is at the heart of core values

Contributing to communities

14

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

We connect the population through both our literal service offering and by taking a vested interest in the communities in which we operate

Providing significant donations to the youth sector

T

E

C

H

N

O

donated a huge amount of loyalty points, which CWS then matched and converted into money which was donated to charitable causes such as the national Hospice, the special Olympics delegation who made it to the world games in LA, and the renovation of the centre for disabled children at a large primary school.

Amongst its other key CSR activities, CWS has renewed the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to provide free internet to all Government schools in the country and supported a youth coaching programme amongst other significant donations which have a direct impact on the community.

As we pass the half-way mark in 2015, CWS is particularly proud to be striving to achieve its mission statement goal; to provide world-class communications and entertainment services that allow people to work, play and have fun.

Hammond concludes: “Once

L

O

G

Y

achieved, we can call ourselves a fully integrated telecommunications and entertainment provider and begin looking further into the enterprise space at how we can adopt cloud and other key software solutions in this space.

“At present though, we see ourselves as the number one entertainment and communications provider to the whole of Seychelles.

By executing the right strategies and continuing to invest in all the right technologies and services, as we have done so far, we will continue to strengthen the business and come up with ways to make it easier for customers to communicate.

“Our strongest selling point is that people see CWS as a deeply rooted component in the country. Customers see us as a friendly, highly professional and customer-centric Company equipped with the right balance of quality and affordability.”

Charles Hammond, CEO, Cable & Wireless Seychelles

For all your technology needs

LAPTOPS DESKTOPS MONITORS PRINTERS PROJECTORS

NAS STORAGE ROUTERS TONER & INKS TABLETS MOBILE PHONES

A REPUTATION TO BE PROUD OF

IPODS CAMERAS GAMING CONSOLES SPEAKERS HEADPHONES

WE DELIVER

www.veritasexports.com PO Box 1221, Wandsbeck, 3631, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Tel: +27 31 267 0069/ 267 0081 Fax: +27 31 267 0070 Email: admin@veritasexports.co.za

www.incipe.com

eritas_ad_r2.indd 1

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

2015/07/22 12:13 PM

15

CABLE & WIRELESS SEYCHELLES LTD Francis Rachel Street PO Box 4, Victoria Mahé, Seychelles T: +248 428 4000 F: +248 432 2777 www.cwseychelles.com